


Grocery Lists

by Aydammair



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Domestic, Gen, Humor, Team Dynamics
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-11-03
Updated: 2013-11-02
Packaged: 2017-12-31 08:08:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 985
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1029322
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aydammair/pseuds/Aydammair
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Steve slowly adjusts to this new New York and being part of a team that might have all the answers he is looking for.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Grocery Lists

**Author's Note:**

> I found this in my writing folder. I have no idea where I was going with it. I usually hate posting unfinished work but I was hoping that sharing this might spark some ideas. Feedback and suggestions are loved and cherished.

Steve quietly walks into the kitchen. He pulls a loaf of whole grain bread out of the cupboard, puts four pieces in the industrial strength toaster and then refills the coffee maker. As the machines quietly work he sets out a plate and then retrieves the shopping list from the fridge. He efficiently runs through the list, crossing off a couple of items with one of the pens Tony constantly leaves everywhere, and then peers into the fridge before adding a couple additional items. Satisfied with the result, he folds the list and tucks it into his back pocket and puts the pen properly in the pen holder.  
  
His toast pops up and he fetches it. He is in the process of mechanically buttering the four slices when Tony wanders in. He shuffles over to the coffee maker and blinks with sleepy consternation at the light that informs him the coffee is not ready yet. Steve quietly eats his toast as he watches Tony stare at the coffee maker with the single minded intensity of a person whose brain has not started yet. The machine beeps and Tony automatically pulls the carafe out and fills one of the mugs they keep on the counter. He inhales deeply and then practically drinks the whole mug in one go before pouring another. Steve finishes his toast and stands. Tony’s eyes snap to him and watch him through the steam of his drink.  
  
“Good Morning,” Steve says. Tony blinks at him, which he takes as an affirmative response. Steve puts his plate in the dishwasher and turns back to Tony, who is still staring at him. Steve is always disconcerted by Tony in the morning. He is usually quiet, unless he’s wired from being up all night, but Steve can tell his mind is still running at its usual fast pace. It is as though Tony is still deciding what he is going to share with the world that day, and what secrets he will continue to keep.  
  
“I’m going to the grocery store,” Steve says, “Do you want anything?” He does not really expect a response, but he finds it disconcerting to simply leave the room without some sort of conversation. Tony blinks and tilts his head minutely.  
  
“Cucumbers,” he says at last. Steve blinks several times.  
  
“Okay,” he says. Tony nods once and then shuffles back out of the room. Steve blinks once more and then goes to the foyer to put on his shoes.  
  
One long elevator ride later, he steps out into the early morning sun of New York. The city has changed, but the constant motion of people remains the same. Steve tucks his hands into his pockets and walks down the sidewalk at a measured pace.  
  
As he walks, he reflects on the changes in his life in the past six months. Waking up seventy years in the future had been a shock he had not thought he would be able to recover from. Then he had met the other Avengers. They fought with each other and then together and for a moment Steve felt a part of something wonderful. Something he had not felt since his days with the Howling Commandos. Then they had separated and Steve had gone to the plain studio apartment S.H.E.I.L.D. had set up for him and retreated back into himself. The weeks had blurred together into a monotony of trained and sketching as he attempted to integrate in a world he did not fit into.  
  
Then a mad scientist had shown up with robotic scorpions and stolen technology from Svartalfheim. The Avengers had assembled again and Steve had reveled in the moment. Afterwards, as they stood in the smoldering wreckage of a coffee shop and golden pincers twitched beside them, Tony pulled his helmet off and invited all of them to live with him in the newly remodeled tower. Clint refused to live in anything with ‘Stark’ written across it like a target. Tony ruffled his own hair and said,  
  
“Actually the new Stark Tower is in L.A. I was thinking of calling this one the Avengers Tower.”  
  
“That’s an even bigger target,” Clint scoffed. He showed up that evening with a pair of duffle bags.  
  
Just like that, they all ended up living together. Some days their personalities collided spectacularly and there were arguments and fights and death threats. Most days they got on well. Better than Steve had expected. They were all warriors, displaced from the normal flow of life and their shared battles had fostered a mutual respect. And few days, they were something more, something Steve could not put his finger on. The days when Peggy Carter passed away at age 95, when Thor returned from Asgard with news of Loki’s punishment, when Pepper Potts left Tony, when Bruce saw General Ross leaving Fury’s office, when Clint woke with nightmares of a blue light invading his heart, when Natasha arrived with a folder detailing the medical status of a comatose Phil Coulson. Those days Steve felt like a moth, fluttering toward an unknown light. It terrified and thrilled him.  
  
\---  
  
Steve returns to the Tower to find Natasha and Clint sitting at the kitchen island watching Thor stare at the neat row of cracker boxes in the cupboard. Natasha perks up when Steve sets his bags down next to her. Clint dumps a spoonful of sugar into Thor’s abandoned mug of coffee.  
  
“Morning Cap,” he says cheerfully.  
  
“Good Morning,” Steve replies. He puts a box of Poptarts on the counter next to Thor, who beams at him.  
  
“Good Morning!” Thor says with his usual bold flavor, “Thank you!”  
  
“Sure,” says Steve and turns back to his bags. Natasha slips off her stool and together they put away the groceries with military precision while Thor carefully fills the toaster and Clint continues to put sugar in everyone’s coffee.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  



End file.
